FR3075002A1 - HOT CHOCOLATE DOSED CAPSULE AND PROCESS FOR PREPARING THE SAME - Google Patents

Abstract

 The invention relates to a metered capsule for hot chocolate having a total weight of between 20 and 60 g comprising in combination a solid chocolate envelope having a diameter of between 30 and 55 mm and a thickness of between 0.5 and 6 mm, and an interior space with at least 50% air and comprising a chocolate shortbread. The invention also relates to the process for preparing said metered capsule for hot chocolate.

Description

DOSED CAPSULE FOR HOT CHOCOLATE AND PROCESS FOR PREPARING THE SAME

The invention relates to a metered capsule for hot chocolate and its preparation process.

There are different forms of preparation on the market for making hot chocolate. We know on the one hand sachets containing chocolate powders and on the other hand metered preparations such as spoons or sticks frozen in a mass full of chocolate. Often these preparations contain food additives to promote the dissolution of chocolate preparations in water or hot milk. In this connection, a document for hot chocolate allowing rapid dispersion in milk is known from the document published under the number WO2017 / 077754. The composition notably comprises a specific emulsifier having been solidified by a thermoplastic gelling agent thus allowing the chocolate to disperse and avoid sedimentation. This type of preparation, in addition to containing food additives to promote dissolution, is a non-dosed preparation for hot chocolate.

On the market for dosed preparations of hot chocolate, professionals are trying to replace the unappetizing sachet with difficult to identify content by a mass of chocolate in the shape of a ball or cube often planted with a stick or spoon, which is necessary stir long in hot milk to allow it to melt. However, total melting is difficult because the mass takes a long time to dissolve in the cooling milk.

In this type of preparation described above, from the document published under the number EP 0 324 072, a drink capsule is known in which a drink base, preferably consisting of a liquid or chocolate syrup, is enclosed in an envelope. solid formed of chocolate or a coating of confectionery containing fat. The capsules described are full of liquid and / or chocolate. The chocolate syrup of Example 1 also has food additives such as alkanized cocoa, xanthan gum (food additive for its thickening properties) and potassium sorbate (food additive for its preservation properties). The preferred preparation time for hot chocolate is indicated to be one and a half minutes using microwave heating.

Also known from the document published under the number WO2011 / 027621 is a chocolate product for hot chocolate comprising a part of chocolate (1) and a plastic stick (2). The chocolate part is a chocolate mass with a spherical shape and having a three-layer structure, in order from the outside to the inside, of a coating chocolate (13), of a chocolate shell (11) and cream chocolate (12).

Thus, in addition to the fact that most of the preparations for hot chocolate contain food additives to promote in particular the melting of the ingredients, the various solutions proposed to date on the market are solid preparations, compact or in powder form which require sometimes stir the ingredients for a long time, often more than a minute, to obtain their dissolution. The hot chocolate thus obtained is not homogeneous and creamy. In addition, the preparations for hot chocolate dosed all have solid masses which are not effective in terms of melting time and homogeneity.

Therefore, it has been important to develop a dosed product for hot chocolate to quickly obtain a smooth, homogeneous and tasty hot chocolate.

The Applicant has surprisingly discovered that the constitution of the interior space of a metered product makes it possible to quickly obtain, in milk or hot water, a smooth, homogeneous and tasty hot chocolate.

The first object of the invention is therefore a metered capsule for hot chocolate having a total weight of between 20 and 60 g comprising a solid envelope (1) of chocolate having a diameter of between 20 and 55 mm and a thickness of between 0.5 and 6 mm, said metered capsule having an interior space comprising a chocolate shortbread (2) and at least 50% of air (3).

The second object of the invention is a process for preparing a metered capsule for hot chocolate having a total weight of between 20 and 60 g which consists of:

- form a solid chocolate envelope, of thickness between 0.5 and 6 mm, by pouring chocolate into two half-capsules of a mold with a diameter between 20 and 55 mm,

- fill one of the two chocolate half-capsules with a chocolate shortbread,

- slightly melt the edge of the empty half-capsule, and

- stick the empty half-capsule on the filled half-capsule to finalize the solid envelope and thus obtain a perfectly sealed capsule containing the chocolate shortbread and at least 50% air.

In this description, unless otherwise specified in the text, it is understood that:

- when an interval is given, it includes the upper and lower bounds of said interval, as well as all the numerical values between the bounds of the interval.

-% are expressed in volume / volume or even% by mass in the text, unless otherwise indicated.

In the present invention, by:

- "dosed capsule" a capsule comprising a fixed dose of chocolate preparation and making it possible to prepare, by adding one, two or three capsules, a cup of hot chocolate of about 25cl, corresponding to 20cl of milk and 5cl of preparation. The constitution of the capsule (s) dosed as a whole, wrapped and shortbread, makes it possible to obtain a smooth, homogeneous and tasty hot chocolate. An individual dosing capsule alone allows, i.e. a capsule, to prepare a cup of hot chocolate of about 25cl, corresponding to 20cl of milk and 5cl of preparation.

- “chocolate shortbread” a chocolate granule comprising ingredients mixed in a determined order and forming an amalgam of several ingredients in each of the small grains thus obtained.

- "an interior space comprising at least 50% air" the fact that the interior space of the metered capsule consists of an empty half capsule or not filled with chocolate shortbread (50% air) and also includes spaces between the grains of the chocolate shortbread (air spaces).

- "approximately" a quantity or a weight at 5% ready for the exact value indicated.

- "natural ingredients" ingredients from plants extracted directly from agricultural production and unprocessed, and excluding chemicals and palm oil.

- "food additives" of natural or artificial (chemical) substances added to a food in order to modify its properties. The most common food additives are the color, the sweetener (to give a sweet taste) and the preservative.

- "milk or hot water" milk or water brought to at least 80 ° C.

The first object of the invention is therefore a metered capsule for hot chocolate having a total weight of between 20 and 60 g comprising a solid envelope (1) of chocolate having a diameter of between 20 and 55 mm and a thickness of between 0.5 and 6 mm, said metered capsule having an interior space comprising a chocolate shortbread (2) and at least 50% of air (3).

The interior space of the metered capsule has a chocolate shortbread type container which, in combination with the presence of at least 50% air, and in contact with hot water or milk, provides a very rapid melting of all the ingredients constituting the metered capsule, thus forming a smooth, homogeneous and tasty hot chocolate.

Thus, the size of the metered capsule and of the solid envelope has a diameter between 20 and 55 mm, the thickness of the solid envelope must be between 0.5 and 6mm and the interior space of the capsule includes a chocolate shortbread and at least 50% air. This combination of characteristics of the metered capsule allows it to quickly melt to obtain a smooth, homogeneous and tasty chocolate. As will be demonstrated in the examples, the variation of one of the characteristics of the metered capsule does not allow the desired result to be obtained, namely a rapid melting and a smooth chocolate. The examples which follow demonstrate that it is the combination of the presence of the chocolate shortbread and the air included in the interior space of the chocolate envelope which allows the capsule dosed according to the invention to melt quickly and thus give a smooth, homogeneous and tasty chocolate.

In a preferred embodiment, the grains of the chocolate shortbread have a size of between approximately 0.1 and 3.0 mm.

The production of chocolate shortbread is known to a person skilled in the art and the size of the grains depends on the proportion of liquid material contained in the mixture. The higher this proportion, the larger the grains.

In yet another preferred embodiment, the solid chocolate envelope has a diameter of about 30 mm, 40 mm or 50 mm, preferably about 40 mm or 50 mm. The diameter is preferably 40 mm or 50 mm.

When the solid chocolate envelope has a diameter of 40 mm, it is necessary to use two metered capsules for the preparation of a smooth, homogeneous and tasty hot chocolate.

When the solid envelope has a diameter of 50 mm, a metered capsule is sufficient for the preparation of a smooth, homogeneous and tasty hot chocolate. In a very preferred embodiment, the individual metered capsule has a diameter of 50 mm.

In yet another preferred embodiment, the chocolate shortbread comprises cocoa powder, sugar, hazelnut praline and a natural vanilla extract. Other natural ingredients can be added such as cinnamon, caramel, ginger ...

In an even more preferred embodiment, the capsule dosed according to the invention consists as a whole exclusively of natural ingredients.

In another preferred embodiment, the interior space of the metered capsule comprises up to 70% air (3). This proportion of air comes on the one hand from the fact that only half a capsule is filled with chocolate shortbread and on the other hand that the chocolate shortbread itself includes air.

These two characteristics, shortbread and air, are essential in combination with the effective dissolution mode of the metered capsule according to the invention, with the characteristics of the thickness and diameter of the chocolate shell.

The second object of the invention is a process for preparing a metered capsule for hot chocolate having a total weight of between 20 and 60 g which consists of:

- form a solid envelope with a thickness between 0.5 and 6 mm by pouring two chocolate half-capsules into a mold having a diameter between 30 and 55 mm,

- fill one of the two chocolate half-capsules with a chocolate shortbread,

- slightly melt the edge of the empty half-capsule, and

- stick the empty half-capsule on the filled half-capsule to finalize the solid envelope and thus obtain a perfectly sealed capsule containing an interior space comprising the chocolate shortbread and at least 50% air.

In a preferred embodiment of the preparation process according to the invention, the two half-capsules constituting the solid envelope have a thickness of approximately 1.5 mm.

In yet another preferred embodiment of the preparation process according to the invention, the solid envelope has a diameter of 30 mm or 50 mm and the interior space comprises up to 70%.

By way of illustration, preferred examples of embodiment of the invention are described below.

The invention and the advantages which ensue therefrom will be better understood on reading the description and the nonlimiting embodiments which follow, written with reference to the appended figure in which:

- Figure 1 shows a metered capsule for hot chocolate in section. The solid envelope (1) formed of chocolate has an interior space comprising a chocolate shortbread (2) and air (3).

Example 1: Method of Manufacturing a Dosed Capsule for Hot Chocolate According to the Invention

1- A chocolate wrap (cocoa mass, sugar, cocoa butter, emulsifier (soy lecithin), natural vanilla flavor) is produced by molding two half-capsules in molds containing impressions of 50 mm in diameter . A thickness of 1.5 mm is formed. The two half-capsules thus obtained weigh 14g.

2- At the same time, a shortbread or "granule" is prepared: the ingredients are added one after the other, in a precise order, to a container and mixed with a whisk continuously as they are incorporated.

The order of integration of the ingredients is:

1- Cocoa powder (between 4g and 4.50g)

2- Sugar (between 6.50g and 7g)

3- Hazelnut praline (between 3.20g and 3.70g)

4- Natural vanilla extract (between 1.25g and 1.75g)

The grains obtained are of various sizes which can vary between 0.1mm and 3 mm.

Different other ingredients can be used to offer different flavors.

The principle of preparing shortbread is the same as that of shortbread pastry. This method of preparation allows several ingredients to be amalgamated in each of the small grains of shortbread thus obtained and to obtain a shortbread containing 10 to 20% air by volume.

The size of the shortbread grains varies between 0.1 mm and 3 mm.

The total weight of the shortbread used to fill a half sphere of 50 mm is 16g.

3- One of the half-capsules is filled with the shortbread preparation in granules prepared in 2).

4- The edges of the second half-capsule are slightly melted in order to weld them to the edges of the first and thus constitute a complete and hermetic capsule which will play its role of protective capsule for the preparation of chocolate shortbread inside.

An individual dose capsule of 30 g is obtained.

Example 2 Experiment to Compare the Melting Time of the Capsule According to the Invention with Products of the Prior Art

A full spherical capsule (1) is prepared, weighing the same weight as that of Example 1, ie 30 g and containing strictly the same ingredients but in a compact and homogeneous form. The diameter of the capsule is 40mm.

A 50 mm diameter capsule (2) is prepared which is filled with the ingredients for the chocolate shortbread but without making a shortbread type preparation (2). The ingredients are in powder form. The mass is 30 g in total and the interior space has at least 50% air.

The individual metered capsule according to the invention of example 1 (named 3) and a metered capsule according to the invention having a diameter of the envelope of 30 mm (named 4) are compared with the two capsules described above.

For this experiment, each of the capsules was placed in a cup and 20cl of milk heated to a temperature of 80 ° C was poured over it.

The results are given in Table 1.

TABLE 1

Type of capsule Capsule with a compact and homogeneous preparation (1) 50 mm capsule half filled with non-agglomerated grain ingredients (2) 50 mm capsule half filled with the agglomerated grain ingredients (3) according to the invention 2 30 mm capsules half filled with the agglomerated grain ingredients (4) according to the invention Time to melting 4 minutes 2 min 40 seconds 30 seconds Homogeneity Non-homogeneous result, significant unmelted residues Dissociation between the ingredients that flow and those that float. Homogeneity difficult to obtain even by actively mixing the whole. Total melting of the whole very quickly, very good homogeneity with only a few spoon turns in the last seconds Total melting of the whole very quickly, very good homogeneity with only a few spoon turns in the last seconds

The capsule according to the invention (3) prepared in Example 1 floats for around 30 seconds. Thanks to the action of heat, it flows and releases the granules which only need less than 10 seconds to fully melt. This rapid melting of the granules is due to their small size and the fact that they do not float, which makes them much more soluble. The intervention with a spoon is very limited, a few turns in the cup in the last 10 seconds are enough to obtain a homogeneous, smooth and tasty hot chocolate.

The capsule according to the invention (4) dissolves in 30 seconds, in the same way as described for the capsule (3).

The full capsule (1) drips immediately and, even if it is constantly moved with a spoon, takes 4 minutes to melt and leaves significant residue at the bottom of the cup, probably due to the cooling of the milk. This type of capsule has the same disadvantages of preparations in solid cubes or in solid spheres present on the market.

For the capsule (2), the cocoa powder floats and compromises the homogeneous and rapid melting of the capsule and its contents. Experience shows that once the capsule is in the hot milk, the bottom part melts, the milk enters the capsule, the cocoa powder then floats inside the capsule, creating a sort of tablecloth. the surface and considerably delays the pouring of the upper part which remains in suspension. Obtaining a homogeneous mixture is therefore very difficult even when mixing with a spoon.

The capsules dosed according to the invention have a rapid melting of 30 and 40 seconds depending on the diameter of the envelope. The hot chocolate is homogeneous, creamy and tasty

Claims (10)

1. Dosed capsule for hot chocolate having a total weight of between 20 and 60 g comprising a solid envelope (1) of chocolate having a diameter of between 20 and 55 mm and a thickness of between 0.5 and 6 mm, characterized in that that it has an interior space comprising a chocolate shortbread (2) and at least 50% air (3). 2. Capsule according to claim 1 characterized in that the grains of the chocolate shortbread (2) have a size of between approximately 0.1 and 3.0 mm. 3. Capsule according to one of claims 1 and 2 characterized in that the solid envelope (1) of chocolate has a diameter of about 30 mm, 40 mm or 50 mm. 4. Capsule according to any one of claims 1 to 3 characterized in that the metered capsule is individual and has a diameter of 50 mm. 5. Capsule according to any one of claims 1 to 4 characterized in that the chocolate shortbread (2) comprises cocoa powder, sugar, hazelnut praline and a natural vanilla extract. 6. Capsule according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the interior space comprises up to 70% of air (3) inside the envelope. 7. Capsule according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the thickness of the solid envelope (1) is approximately 1.5 mm. 8. Method for preparing a metered capsule for hot chocolate having a total weight of between 20 and 60 g which consists of: - form a solid chocolate envelope, of thickness between 0.5 and 6 mm, by pouring chocolate into two half-capsules of a mold with a diameter between 20 and 55 mm, - fill one of the two chocolate half-capsules with a chocolate shortbread, - slightly melt the edge of the empty half-capsule, and - stick the empty half-capsule on the filled half-capsule to finalize the solid envelope and thus obtain a perfectly sealed capsule containing an interior space comprising the chocolate shortbread and at least 50% air. 9. Preparation process according to claim 8, characterized in that the two half-capsules constituting the solid envelope have a thickness of about 1.5 mm. 10. Method according to one of claims 8 and 9, characterized in that the capsule has a diameter of 30 mm, 40 mm or 50 mm and comprises up to 70% of air inside the envelope.